Jongno 3-ga hanok BBQ date, 8-team Saturday wait: Meongseokjip
In short
Meongseokjip (멍석집) is a pork belly Korean BBQ restaurant in a hanok alley near Exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga Station in Jongno, Seoul, where diners grill meat at outdoor street-style tables. On a Saturday date with her husband at around 7pm, the writer found 8 teams waiting, but fast table turnover meant a short wait. After the meat, the brisket doenjang stew, ordered extra spicy and finished as doenjang rice, made Meongseokjip an excellent choice for a weekend date.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 4 · 2-min walk (store listing, Oct 7, 2026)
- Location
- About 100m on foot from Exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga Station (Lines 1, 3 and 5)
- Hours
- Daily 1pm–11:55pm, no break time
- Reservations
- Not accepted; walk-in waitlist only
- Wait
- 8 teams at around 7pm on a Saturday; tables turn over fast
- Seating
- Choose indoor, outdoor or first available
- Time limit
- 1 hour 30 minutes on weekends and public holidays
- Meongseok Set
- ₩55,000 (aged pork belly for 2, flower-cut pork neck for 1, grilling by staff included)
- Meat à la carte
- Aged pork belly ₩18,000, pork skirt (galmaegisal) ₩18,000, pork jowl (hangjeongsal) ₩19,000, flower-cut pork neck (kkotmoksal) ₩19,000, beef short rib meat ₩24,000, beef chuck flap ₩24,000
- Sides
- Kimchi fried rice ₩7,000, brisket doenjang stew ₩7,000, pork kimchi stew ₩9,000, steamed egg ₩5,000
- Drinks
- Soju, beer, makgeolli
- Price reference
- ₩55,000 ≈ $41 · ₩18,000 ≈ $13.5 · ₩19,000 ≈ $14 (2026-10-14)
as written by the visitor on Jul 2, 2026
Meongseokjip in Jongno 3-ga: how was it as a weekend date spot?
Meongseokjip (멍석집) is a BBQ restaurant in Jongno 3-ga famous for its hanok-style outdoor tables. It was a fantastic weekend date spot for my husband and me, so I wanted to share it with you!
Walk into the alley with strings of flags fluttering overhead and you'll find Meongseokjip. It's not far from Jongno 3-ga Station!
How long is the Saturday evening wait at Meongseokjip?
Meongseokjip doesn't take reservations, only walk-in waiting. The weather's perfect for eating outdoors right now, right? The days are getting longer too~ so getting in without a wait isn't really possible!
Sitting squeezed together in the alley, grilling meat, with that lively buzzing atmosphere all around: that's the charm of eating outdoors in Jongno.
When I arrived around 7pm on a Saturday, there were 8 teams ahead of us. You can choose indoor seats, outdoor seats, or "any seat is fine"! Turnover is faster than you'd expect.
Meongseokjip location and opening hours
Meongseokjip is about 100 meters on foot from Exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga Station, which is served by Lines 1, 3 and 5. It's open every day from 1pm to 11:55pm, with no break time.
Meongseokjip menu, prices and the weekend time limit
On weekends and public holidays, your time at Meongseokjip is limited to 1 hour 30 minutes. The Meongseok Set includes a grilling service and costs ₩55,000, and it seemed like lots of people were ordering it!
- Meongseok Set (aged pork belly for 2, flower pork neck for 1, grilling service) ₩55,000
- Aged pork belly à la carte ₩18,000
- Pork skirt (galmaegisal) ₩18,000
- Pork jowl (hangjeongsal) ₩19,000
- Flower pork neck (kkotmoksal) ₩19,000
- Beef short rib meat ₩24,000
- Beef chuck flap tail (salchisal) ₩24,000
- Side: kimchi fried rice ₩7,000
- Brisket doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) ₩7,000
- Pork kimchi stew ₩9,000
- Steamed egg ₩5,000
- Drinks: soju, beer, makgeolli
How are the meat and basic side dishes at Meongseokjip?
This hanok-style outdoor BBQ is famous as a Jongno 3-ga meat spot, and this is why: the meat comes in a big bowl, piled high. The well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts that come as standard are the real kicker when you grill them together.
Drinking in a Jongno outdoor spot is... the reason I can't give it up, even when it's hot.
I hear Meongseokjip is a high-quality pork belly specialist, with 80-hour aging. It sits between Pojangmacha Street (the tent-bar street) and Ikseon-dong Hanok Street, so it's a great place to visit after a date, and it pairs perfectly with other date spots like Ikseon-dong and Euljiro.
We grilled garlic too and wrapped everything in lettuce and leafy greens. With that open-sky outdoor vibe, it feels like eating outside, a really romantic space.
It's the kind of place where soju comes to mind on its own, and skipping it would feel like a letdown.
Meongseokjip restroom and indoor atmosphere
Meongseokjip keeps a pleasant atmosphere with its stylish interior, and even with that outdoor-tent feel, the restroom is kept clean, so anyone can use it comfortably.
I hear that since March 6, Meongseokjip has offered a grilling service when you order a set menu. The meat is juicy and chewy, which makes this place even more special!
Meongseokjip brisket doenjang stew, made extra spicy for doenjang rice
After the meat, I ordered the brisket doenjang stew (₩7,000) and rice and made doenjang rice. This is a place you eat for the atmosphere, but after meat you have to get your carbs in, right?
I asked them to make it a bit spicier, and it was so good!!!! Ugh, watching the video, I want it again,,,
It was pleasantly spicy yet clean-tasting. It tasted like the doenjang stew a grandmother in the countryside would make, so it was even more nutty and delicious, and the combination of soju, pork belly, doenjang stew, kimchi and bean sprouts was a work of art.
The restroom is pleasant too, and if you're looking for a Jongno outdoor BBQ spot that's good for a date, I highly recommend Meongseokjip!
Where it is
7 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 종로구 돈화문로11다길 7 멍석집
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